Sandu and Zelenskyy exchange state awards in Kyiv
Maia Sandu travelled to Kyiv today on an official visit to take part in events marking the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s declaration of independence. Whatever the Ukrainian president’s specific services to the Moldovan state may be, Sandu used the anniversary to award Volodymyr Zelenskyy Moldova’s highest state decoration, the Order of the Republic.
“For four and a half years, Ukrainians have been defending their country, and through their courage they are protecting peace across the continent. Moldova is living in peace partly thanks to that courage,” the president of the still-neutral Moldova said as she presented the award to her Ukrainian counterpart.
Zelenskyy presents Sandu with Order of Princess Olga
Zelenskyy responded with a decoration of his own, although Sandu did not receive Ukraine’s highest state honour. Instead, she was awarded the Order of Princess Olga, a decoration granted exclusively to women.
The award was presented to the Moldovan president “for outstanding vision and support provided to the Ukrainian people in their struggle against armed aggression”. The exchange therefore proved somewhat uneven in terms of status: Sandu presented Zelenskyy with Moldova’s highest state award, while receiving the Order of Princess Olga in return.
For the Moldovan president, whose government has repeatedly emphasised close political alignment with Ukraine and the wider European agenda, the ceremony offered another symbolic demonstration of that relationship. But in the hierarchy of Ukrainian honours, Sandu was apparently not yet considered eligible for something higher.
